A Neuroscientist Maintains That Head Transplant is Possible

He head transplant (or body, depending on how you look at it) is a surgical procedure that has given rise to several films and television series, such as the classic Frankenstein or the Matt Groening series Futurama.

However, the famous publication Surgical Neurology International reported a few days ago the research carried out by Dr. Sergio Canavero at the University of Turin, which concludes that head transplantation is medically possible and details the procedure by which it could be achieved.

Head transplant: science fiction or reality?

Dr. Canavero It is based on a controversial investigation that took place in 1970 A year after man landed on the Moon, Dr. Robert Whites managed to transplant the head of a rhesus monkey into the body of another specimen, as well as into dogs and rabbits where they were also successful, demonstrating that the reinsertion of the head in a body it is not impracticable.

Canavero comments that for this procedure it is necessary to cool the head and spine of the animal to 18ºC, and make “clean cuts” using a super-sharp scalpel, with the aim of separate the two spinal cords and subsequently drain the blood from the head of the transplanted subject before joining the two spinal cords by means of an inorganic polymer, which functions as an adhesive.

In experimentation, Canavero also states that it can be especially complicated to ensure correct integration of all nerve fibers, but he points out that a few correct connections would be sufficient to obtain a certain degree of voluntary control of movements. Stimulation through electrical microdischarges of the spinal cord (SCS) would also help to improve the plasticity of nerve cells, which would result in a progressive takeover of the brain to be able to control and dominate its new body.

Canavero highlights that this procedure needs to be studied in depth from now on, as it could give hope to people who suffer from severe diseases and illnesses.

It may seem absurd to think about the possibility of transplanting a head, but the truth is that a review of the science of medicine in recent times attests that some procedures that seemed like science fiction, such as face transplants, are today a reality. reality. It may only be a matter of time before medical technology enables the first head transplant